The God I Made
by Spunky0ne
Summary: Ywach has fallen and the three worlds are drowning. In a brilliant twist of irony, the only hope left lies in the balance of Ichigo's purity and Aizen's darkness. As the moments count down, a group of knights try desperately to reach the royal realm to rescue Ichigo, but what will they do when they learn what the soul king has set in motion? yaoi, mpreg Aizen/Ichigo, Renji/Byakuya
1. Apocalypse

**The** **God I Made**

 **by Spunky0ne**

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 **(Calling all Bleach fans! Aizen fans! Any fans! There is a two hour premiere tonight of a show that you do not want to miss on MTV. It is called The Shannara Chronicles and the arc they are showing for the next ten weeks is based on one of sci-fi great Terry Brooks's novels, _The Elfstones of Shannara_. Those of you who know me, know that Terry Brooks is one of my greatest inspirations. His books are fabulous and you do not want to miss this MTV show! If you don't know Terry Brooks, you might know the Star Wars episode, _The Phantom Menace_. Terry Brooks wrote that! Watch The Shannara Chronicles and then write to support to tell the site to add a category for related stories. You won't be sorry, trust me! I will, of course, continue to write lots of Bleach chapters, but I will also delight with some stories that I've had put away in my personal treasure trove that are based on Brooks's works. Please help me get a place on the site to put them!**

 **Now, about this new story...I've had a lot, as in a HUGE number of people, asking for an epic Aizen/Ichigo story in addition to Longings (which I promise I will be updating soon!), so after writing the oneshot, _I Could Touch Your Heart,_ and reading how much people liked that, I crafted this epic Aizen/Ichigo apocalypse story just to warm the hearts of Aizenfans everywhere. It might not be May yet, but it's time for some Aizenfun! This is yaoi and mpreg of a sort...so don't read if you don't like that. Enjoy! Cheers, Spunky)**

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 **Chapter1: Apocalypse**

The steady pitter-pat of falling rain was the first thing that reached Ichigo's senses to tell him that he still lived.

 _I can't move._

 _I can't see._

 _I can't feel my body._

 _I only know that I have killed my enemy._

 _I killed Ywach and now everyone will be safe._

The thought gave him comfort as he laid alone in the ruins of the palace, his body as much a piece of the wreckage as any other and his mind weary, but peaceful in the knowledge that the great evil they had faced was gone.

 _Everyone else was cast out,_ he remembered, _It'll be a long time before they can get back up here. But we have lots of time now. Because we fought our hardest and won, we have all of the time in the world..._

He faded back into a comforting greyness, soothed by the steady thrum of the rain, cooled by its touch on his torn flesh. He breathed in the fresh air it left in its wake, glad to be free of the heavy burden of duty and allowed to rest and recover.

 _It has to rain for a while. The rain has to wash everything clean and the shinigamis have to come and repair the damage here, then..._

Ichigo's brown eyes opened and blinked.

 _What happens now?_

 _Who is king, now that the soul king and Ywach are both dead?_

 _Yoruichi said they can just make another. I saw her attempt to make another king out of that thing that came up from Soul Society...Mimihagi..._

Ichigo began to feel a little chill, deep in the core of his ruined body, as he remembered.

 _In my heart, I wanted to protect the king, but instead, my hand was forced to kill him! And when the blade sank into his body, where it was protected inside that crystal...I saw..._

Pain stabbed at Ichigo's nearly frozen heart, making him loose a pained cry that echoed through the crumbled ruins of the fallen king's palace. His eyes began to glaze over and crushing pain began to break through, in his aching heart, his stunned mind, his broken body.

 _Ywach was horrible. I couldn't leave the worlds in his hands. But...the soul king was...a lie! I didn't listen when Ywach tried to explain to me. Just like I didn't listen when Aizen told me the same thing a long time ago._

 _But they were telling me the truth!_

 _The soul king was no more than a prisoner, someone the shingamis imprisoned in that crystal. A powerful person who could provide the forces needed to maintain the balance of souls. But, that's it. The one in the crystal wasn't asked if he wanted to be king. It was like Yoruichi said, they made him. He was nothing but a prisoner, kept against his will. And the only good thing, the only comfort that he had, was that he also didn't want the worlds to end._

 _But he's dead._

 _Ywach is dead._

 _What happens now?_

Ichigo's mind became as chaotic as the thick, wet drops that pounded down, falling endlessly, not knowing where he would land, only knowing that he would be broken and scattered by the impact. Hot tears leaked onto his face, burning in the cuts his enemy had made, the pain joining one much greater that gathered inside, until he loosed a ringing howl of despair.

 _What did I do this for?_

 _I thought I was saving everyone._

 _But this isn't saving anyone. They're just going to start all over, imprisoning someone and making a situation like what happened before. How many times will they repeat that mistake? How many thousand of people will be hurt and die because they're doing this?_

 _What can I do?_

 _What can anyone do?_

 _How can I change things so that it's not like that?_

Ichigo squinted suddenly as something near him began to glow, softly at first, leaking light through the piles of debris and shining into his eyes.

 _What is that?_

He squinted harder as the light strengthened and reflected bright colors all around. Ichigo's head shook as it turned so that he could look more closely, and he felt a little bit of energy flicker in his beaten body. He rolled onto his side, then paused, panting hard as his head spun dizzily. Then, when his eyes cleared, he crawled slowly towards the source of the light, wonder making the pain seem more bearable as he continued to look into it.

 _Come, Ichigo._

Ichigo sucked in a stabbing breath.

 _I know that voice. I heard it before, when I held Ywach's sword and it sank into the soul king's body. His thoughts reached me for a moment, but I didn't remember until now. Yes, now I remember. He told me not to be afraid. He told me I was strong enough, and that everything would be all right. He told me to trust myself...my heart, my powers and my instincts. It would be enough, he said, to give us a new beginning._

 _Is this what he meant?_

Ichigo dragged his badly damaged body forward over the jagged, dusty pieces of shattered columns and cracked flooring. He was sure it was opening up new cuts on his already shredded skin, but he hadn't the presence of mind to care about that. His only instinct was to crawl towards the glowing light. Whispers began to reach him, some like the king who had spoken to him, and others slightly different, but still possessing what felt like ancient wisdom. The sound guided him forward, even as his eyesight dimmed and his head rang with the effort he poured into just moving. By the time he came within reach of the light, he could see that it was a small artifact of some kind. It hummed oddly with life as he stared and blinked, then reached out a quaking hand.

It seemed to be a multi-colored prism, but he could see where part of it had darkened. He felt the danger in it darkening anymore and focused all of his attention on it. His fingers touched the cool, glassy surface of the prism, and everything went white and blinding all around him. He was thrust violently into a tumble of memories that hammered at his shocked mind from all directions.

 _They all show the same thing...the same thing every time. Every time, someone or something that I love is threatened, and every time, I scream how I will protect each and every one of them. Again and again, the ones I love are threatened, and over and over, I get stronger so that I can protect them. Until I've climbed to the highest place in our worlds and I've fought for everyone._

 _But even though I won, our worlds are dying..._

 _The rain is falling everywhere...here, in Soul Society, the living world, even in Hueco Mundo, even in the depth of hell, the rain is pounding down. The end is coming and all of us will die..._

 _...if I don't do something..._

 _I want to do something._

 _More than anything, I want to save our worlds!_

 _MORE THAN ANYTHING, I WANT TO SAVE OUR WORLDS!_

Ichigo shivered as the light that had swallowed him whole shimmered brightly, and he felt that light drawn down into his injured body, curling up and growing smaller, drawing its power in until it was only a pinpoint buried deep inside him.

 _Very good, Ichigo_ , the king's voice said, blending in with the other voices that had spoken from within the prism, _You are ready now._

 _Please accept this gift._

 _Please save us all._

"B-but how?" Ichigo whispered, his vision fading as the light from the prism within him dimmed, "How do I save everyone now?"

Ichigo heard approaching footsteps and felt a chill run down his spine. The person approached slowly, and he felt dangerous eyes scanning the area around him, raking over the scattered pieces of Ywach's remade palace disapprovingly.

"Where are you?" a male voice asked, one that send icy bolts of fear through Ichigo's heart.

 _Oh no!_

He tried to move, but found that the effort of reaching the prism had drained him. He stared in mindless terror as the man he had heard moved forward, his brown eyes coming to rest on Ichigo's broken body and his lips smiling devilishly.

"How interesting," the man said sedately, "This defies explanation, doesn't it?"

He moved to Ichigo's side and knelt, leaning over him and still smiling at the look of horror the young man gave him.

"Aizen!" Ichigo gasped shakily, "How did you get here?"

"Ichigo," Aizen addressed him, shocking the shinigami substitute with the tone of near affection he employed, "Are you all right? You look like you have seen a monster."

"Y-you _are_ a monster!" Ichigo spat furiously, his battered body shaking all over with rage, "How did you get here!"

"Yes," Aizen agreed, "I am a monster. You are right. And I don't know exactly how I got here. The last I remember, I was tied to that blasted chair that Kurotsuchi Mayuri made. I saw the taichous as they fell from the sky and Inoue Orihime saved the ones that couldn't save themselves from crashing down. They stood near me, staring up into the sky and all of us awaiting our fate. We sensed that the fight ended and that you were victorious, but when they tried to return, they found the gates to the heavens were locked. Everyone tried...the treacherous Mayuri, the powerful Kyoraku, the genius Kisuke, _everyone_. And each one of them failed to find a way to get up to you. Kyoraku soutaichou sent Kuchiki taichou to search the Kuchiki family archive for clues as to what to do. Byakuya entered the archive alongside his cousin, his sister and his fukutaichou, but none of them returned. A message came back from them, extending permission for five people to enter the archive then...Inoue Orihime, Urahara Kisuke, Shihoin Yoruichi, the quincy officer Bazz-B, and Jaegerjaques Grimmjow. The five entered and we waited to learn more. But, as we sat waiting, the rain continued to pour down. In time, we knew, it would flood our worlds and drown everything in a raging sea. All life would come to an end if the balance wasn't restored. We all knew it, and we sat, wondering what in kami's name we could do to stop it."

"And..." Ichigo whispered, gazing disbelievingly into Aizen's dark eyes, " _you_ were their answer?"

To his surprise, Aizen's smile widened and warmed. His eyes twinkled with amusement and his laughter echoed around the room, sending deep shivers up and down the immobilized Ichigo's spine.

"Was _I_ their answer?" he repeated, smirking, "Ichigo, you should know better. Those people down there would never choose to rest their hopes on me. They were not the ones who freed me from my bonds and made me appear here."

"You... _appeared_ here?" Ichigo asked in a haunted tone, "Why? Why would that happen? How could it happen? The taichous were sure you couldn't escape that chair! How did you?"

"Ichigo...Ichigo," Aizen said reprovingly, as his hands reached towards the collapsed man and strong healing power began to soothe him, "Don't you understand? _I_ didn't break those bonds. _They_ didn't let me go. I didn't escape at all."

"You didn't escape?" Ichigo mused, his mind whirling, "Then, what did happen? How did you get here? Who let you in? Tell me, you bastard!"

Aizen gave a soft, amused huff and continued to heal him.

"You really aren't in any condition to make demands," he scolded the younger man, "Right now, I'm sure you're very aware that if I wanted to kill you, I would already have done it. You are powerless right now, injured and helpless, Ichigo. But...you cried out with the same plea that our worlds cry out with now."

"What do you mean? Just tell me what the hell is going on!" Ichigo demanded, sitting up as the healing began to revive him.

Aizen's smile faded and he looked into Ichigo's fierce gaze with perfect seriousness.

"Everyone cried out together, Ichigo," he said more quietly, " _Everyone_. All of the heroes and villains, Shinigamis and humans, quincies and hollows, denizens of every place where the rain is falling now. Our worlds are ending, and we all wanted to find a way to save them. Then... _someone_ answered those cries."

"And _you_ were the answer?" Ichigo snapped, shaking his head, "How stupid do you think I am?"

"You aren't stupid, Ichigo," Aizen assured him, "although, you do tend to act without thinking sometimes. But, you are failing to see the whole picture here."

"What do you mean? Stop talking in riddles and just say it!" Ichigo yelled, coming to his feet and clenching his fists, "If you know how to save our worlds, then tell me. And if you aren't the answer, tell me who is!"

"My, my," Aizen chided him, shaking his head ruefully, "You never change."

He paused and his eyes became affectionate again.

"You grow stronger and stronger, but it doesn't change you. I find that...exhilarating, Ichigo. And so, I'll answer your questions. I didn't escape that chair. I wasn't sent by the taichous. And I am not the answer that will somehow save the worlds."

"Then, who or what is?" Ichigo said, drawing his anger back under control and glaring at Aizen in challenge.

"You should really lie down. You are still badly injured," Aizen warned him, "I barely gave you the strength to stand, and still you seem to want to fight me. It only proves that you still don't understand anything. But...we are never going to get anywhere and our worlds will be drowned in rain unless you do understand, so here it is. _I_ am not the answer that will save our worlds, Ichigo... _we_ are!"

Ichigo stared back at him incredulously, then the last of his strength left him and he started to fall. Aizen captured him in strong arms and looked deeply into his eyes.

"I know you heard his voice," Aizen went on, "You heard the voice of the soul king."

"The soul king is dead!" Ichigo spat, "I know because my hand was used to kill him. It doesn't matter what voices are in our heads, he's gone and our worlds are falling apart."

"Listen to me," Aizen said calmly, his fingers touching the area over Ichigo's heart and his eyes enslaving the younger man's, " _We_ are not here by chance. We were chosen. And we were not just chosen, we were chosen a long time ago, Ichigo. I once met the king. I know I haven't told you that, but I did. He called me here in what I thought was a dream. I was little more than a boy at the time, and I hadn't yet come into my full powers. But the sages of Central 46 sensed my powers and they decided I was too dangerous to be allowed to live. They came after me without warning and they would have had me. I could not have escaped. But as they broke down the doors to my home in the Rukongai and as they slaughtered my family, I was pulled away. I was pulled away and brought here and dropped on the palace floor at the king's feet."

Ichigo stared back at Aizen wordlessly, frozen by the man's story, and more, by the truth he sensed in it.

"You begin to understand," Aizen said, "That's good. Let me finish. The king welcomed me and told me not to despair about the loss that was happening. It was necessary, he said, that darkness come into my life and take away everything. I had to be alone."

Ichigo stiffened as he remembered the touch of Kyoka Suigetsu's thoughts during their battle.

 _Loneliness?_

"I had to be alone and I had to desire his death. In short, what you said before is true. I am a monster. I had to become a monster, Ichigo. He knew back then, and that's why he saved me. He knew that he needed me and he needed you."

"That's crazy!" Ichigo managed, his voice shaking, "That's impossible! Why would he make you into a monster and then make me?"

He stopped as Aizen shook his head reprovingly.

"He didn't make you, Ichigo," Aizen insisted, "He made me into a monster, and _I_ made you. And he needed us both to come here, right here and right now, because we both have the power and the desire to save our worlds. But what we needed was balance...your light and my darkness. Only that would save the worlds...not the lie that he was!"

"You're crazy!" Ichigo shouted, struggling to break free of Aizen, but only making the other man's arms hold him more tightly, "Let go of me! Let me go!"

"Relax, I'm not going to do anything to you, Ichigo," Aizen chided him, "I am only going to take care of you, and I will work with you to find a way to restore the balance of our worlds. You want that too, don't you?"

"I don't trust you to help restore the balance," Ichigo said angrily, "I know you just want to take over! For some reason, you can't do that yet. For some reason, you need me alive. But I'm not going to fall for your tricks. I'm not buying _anything_ you have to say!"

"Then, hold on to your mistrust," Aizen advised him, "but don't delay anymore. We need to get working on this before everyone drowns."

"You say that like you give a damn about them," Ichigo said in a disgusted tone, "But I know you're not thinking about them. You're only thinking of yourself!"

"Isn't that the nature of a monster, Ichigo?" Aizen asked, smirking at him.

Ichigo started to give a furious retort, but froze in Aizen's arms as the palace trembled and began to shake violently. Strangely, the violence seemed to only affect the buildings Ywach's power had constructed. Everything around the two men broke apart and exploded suddenly, although they remained protected at the center of the destruction. Then, as the dust began to clear, the two men watched with widened eyes as the air around them shifted and the soul king's palace slowly began to restore itself. Piece by piece, it slowly reconstructed the throne room they stood in. But instead of the strange cocoon and floating platforms, one vast, expansive plane was constructed. A palace and gardens, a courtyard and strong, kido enforced gates...and outside of the palace, a huge kingdom, open space with fresh air and sunshine, nothing at all like the prison the old king's home had been. Ichigo and Aizen stared in amazement at the new royal realm that was set in place around them. Aizen took a deeper breath and glared in approval at the change.

"That," he said, smiling at Ichigo, "is a kingdom worthy of us, don't you think, Ichigo?"

"You're insane!" Ichigo insisted, "Let me down!"

"If I let you down, you'll only fall," Aizen said reprovingly.

He carried the resisting youth into the lush, fragrant gardens, and deposited him, kicking and swearing, into a warm, bubbling pool that stood beneath a large waterfall. Ichigo splashed down into the pool and felt instantly the inflow of healing power that seeped in from the roiling water. He laid still, letting the water wash over his body, calming the last of his hurts and slowly restoring his energy.

 _I have to recover before I can fight him._

"You still want to fight me, Ichigo?" Aizen asked, stepping to the water's edge and opening the dirty, tattered yukata he wore, "You are annoyingly hard-headed. What is it going to take to make you understand? You may be the light and I may be the essence of darkness, but right now, we are all the hopes our worlds have. You need to forget about trying to attack me and focus on that. Look closely at me, Ichigo. You will see that something has changed."

Ichigo stared at Aizen's revealed body and his eyes rounded.

 _The hogyoku?_

"It's gone," Aizen said quietly, "I don't know why or how. I still feel its existence, but it has separated from my soul and it is somewhere inside me and waiting for something."

"It's waiting for something?" Ichigo repeated, sitting up straighter in the water.

"Yes," Aizen answered, "and when I touched that place over your heart, I felt that something was inside you and waiting too."

Ice seemed to shoot through Ichigo's veins as he remembered the light that had entered his body before.

 _Is he talking about the prism?_

 _Could it be that what Aizen is telling me is true?_

He watched in silence as Aizen let his yukata fall away and he waded across the pool to stand under the warm waterfall. He stood serenely under the fall of water, washing away the dirt and filth of Muken and looking more dangerous and beautiful as the water streamed through the short brown strands of his hair and down the fine curves of his slender and surprisingly muscular body. He watched Ichigo closely as the shinigami substitute shed his tattered clothes and set them at the edge of the pool.

"There'd better be some clothes in that new palace," he huffed tempestuously, "I'm not walking around naked in front of you!"

"The worlds are ending, you fool," Aizen chuckled, turning so that Ichigo couldn't miss the perfect view of his lovely round bottom, "You have more important things to worry about than being naked in front of me."


	2. Gods Alone

**Chapter 2: Gods Alone**

 **(Thanks a million for all of the sweet reviews and the mountains of faves and follows rolling in. My gratitude to Tee (You've got it!), Anon (Here you go!), PrivateCaller (I will keep the chapters rolling!), SagenWarrior (More is granted!), Aizenfan6969 (So glad you like it!), Another Anon (Yup, there's more where that came from!), Jafma (So happy you're enjoying it!), Periwinkle (Ask and you shall receive!), Picklez80 (You're so sweet!), Winterheart2000 (I will certainly do that!), Willow (It's on!), Demonic Musix (Aww! *blushes* Thanks!), Sonia (So happy to make you happy!), Inma ( I will be updating this regularly, as there is a lot of interest. :) More is on the way!), Silvermist023 (Sure thing!), IchiNaruSunshine (You are right that Ichi is very stubborn. Still, as you said, it's meant to be!), Sariniste (Aizen will have to be on his toes. Quite a lot is going on that he can't see...), Shima-Taicho31 (No need to wait anymore! It's here.), Guest (Here it is and more is coming!), and ShadowKitten14 (Thank you so much!) Enjoy the chapter! Love, Spunky)**

An invading shaft of light from the garden doors leaked into Ichigo's hazy mind, bringing him slowly awake. He grimaced and shifted beneath the cozy blankets, his warm, naked body enjoying the pleasant brush of crisp sheets and soft, thick blankets. His stomach rumbled impatiently as cognizance gradually returned and he peeked out from within his covers, extending his senses to make sure Aizen Sousuke was nowhere around.

 _He doesn't seem to be close by. Maybe this is a good time to look around and try to figure things out._

His stomach rumbled again and he sighed and climbed out of the bed. He stumbled across the room to the closet, where he found a number of yukatas in his size, as well as a few expensive kimonos.

 _What the heck?_

He chose a simple white yukata and a pair of sandals, then remained in the closet to dress before stepping back out into the bedroom.

"Man, this is probably the fanciest room I've ever been in," he mused, studying the lovely dark wood furniture that reminded him of the furnishings at Kuchiki Manor, "Byakuya's place is nice, or at least, it was before the war. But this is off the charts."

He walked out the garden doors and stood still, examining the beautiful landscaping, lush, green grass, towering pines and countless flowers everywhere.

 _This is amazing. I wonder how it happened. I was there, watching, and I don't know who or what caused it, or why it shaped itself differently than the one the last soul king lived in._

He felt a twinge of sadness as he remembered the solemn face and distant eyes of Reiou as he had died.

 _Well, I'll bet that the new king isn't going to be like the old one was. The new king won't be a prisoner like that. Not if I have anything to say about it._

 _Aizen seems to think that we will have some kind of say in things. Of course, he tries to control everything...that's Aizen Sousuke for you._

"Good morning, Ichigo," Aizen said from somewhere behind him.

Ichigo turned and looked back at the palace, spotting Aizen standing on a balcony overlooking the gardens. He flash stepped down to where Ichigo stood, giving him a charming smile.

"I hope you slept well."

"I was comfortable," Ichigo answered shortly, "You?"

"It was a vast improvement from Muken," Aizen said blithely, "I was nearly brought to tears."

"Right," Ichigo said skeptically, crossing his arms, "What do you want?"

"It is morning," Aizen observed, "If you haven't eaten yet, I would like to have breakfast with you."

"You want to have breakfast with me?"

"Well, it is a little quiet here. I rather enjoy having company that doesn't want to sit out of my reach and toss insults at me while inflicting pain from a safe distance."

Ichigo frowned.

"Are you saying you were tortured in Muken?" he asked, "Someone hurt you?"

"Can you blame them?" Aizen asked calmly, "I murdered relatives or friends of theirs. And as horrid as those people were, they had some who loved them, some who mourned them, some who would go to some trouble to make me hurt for what I did...even more than the laws prescribed. Thankfully, because my reiatsu was only sealed into an area close around my body, they couldn't rape me, but some of the torments to which I was subjected...let us just say, I am very glad I will not suffer them again."

"What makes you think that?" Ichigo wondered aloud, "You don't know, any better than I do, who sent you up here, why you're really here and what we're supposed to be doing. You like to think you have some kind of control, but you don't. Neither of us do."

"You paint such a bleak picture," Aizen sighed, closing his eyes, "Think, Ichigo. The worlds below us are falling apart. Soon, everyone will be drowned. The rain will flood everything. That means that we have been chosen to do something to set things back in balance. We have to make some kind of move, or a set of moves. It has something to do with how the hogyoku disappeared, but I still feel its presence. I wonder, did anything similar happen to you?"

"I don't know what you mean," Ichigo answered off-handedly, his mind slipping back to the prism he had seen, "Maybe we're supposed to do something, but I don't know what or how. I don't know why we were just trapped up here with no clue what we're supposed to do? Seriously, who planned this?"

Aizen smiled.

"Why, don't you feel the tug on the strings, Ichigo?" he teased, "Obviously, Reiou had his ideas about what to do. You know what it was like for him. Think...do you really expect that if he had his say, he would choose for his successor to be a prisoner like him?"

"What are you saying? What are you trying to tell me here?" Ichigo demanded.

"I'm telling you that it's no coincidence that we are here, that we are here now, or that we are together. There is something we can do to change the way the heavens are run, and part of it is us being here alone. Why don't you tell me where that leads you?"

He moved closer, gazing down into Ichigo's angry, sparking eyes as his hand caressed the younger man's soft cheek.

"What are you doing?" Ichigo asked in a soft, almost panicked voice, "Don't touch me like that!"

He started to pull away, then stopped as his chest, near his heart, began to glow softly. In front of him, Aizen's did the same.

"What is that?" Ichigo mused, his eyes rounding and his fingers shaking as he touched the area that was glowing, "What's going on?"

"Our souls are resonating," Aizen said wonderingly, laying his hand over Ichigo's where it rested on the younger man's chest, "Fascinating!"

"What are you doing to me?" Ichigo snapped, trying to pull away, only to feel a strange numbness pass through him that left him weak-kneed and dizzy, "Aizen!"

Aizen's dangerously handsome face came closer and his lips moved until they were a breath away from Ichigo's.

"Why can't I move? Let go of me!"

"I am not doing anything," Aizen assured him, frowning, "But I do think that you have been holding back on me, Ichigo. You see, I know that you must have found it. It was something that wouldn't have been lost, even when Reiou's palace was blown away and remade into Wahrwelt, it would have remained here somewhere, hidden from the eyes of the enemy. And because it is intricately tied to the making of the new king, it would have found its way to one of us. I had the hogyoku within me."

Aizen paused, glaring down into Ichigo's eyes warningly.

"You...have the king's prism in your body, don't you, Ichigo?"

Ichigo's jaw stiffened rebelliously.

"What do you expect me to say?" he asked sarcastically, "You think I'd just tell something like that to you? I didn't tell that thing it was okay to climb inside me. But maybe it did that to get away from you!"

"Is that what you think?" Aizen said, brushing his lips against Ichigo and breathing in his pleasant, masculine scent, "I think that the truth is, we aren't, either of us here to be the new king, we are here to _make_ the new king."

Ichigo stepped back, his legs shaking as struggled to regain control of his more fiercely glowing body.

"N-no! Get away from me!" he gasped.

"I can't do that," Aizen said with perfect calm, "and even if I could, I don't want to. I am at peace with this."

"Only because you have some kind of agenda!" Ichigo accused him.

"And what agenda would that be?" asked the elder man, nuzzling his cheek.

"I don't know," Ichigo admitted uneasily, "I do know you haven't accepted that you won't be king! Like I'd be stupid enough to believe that for a second!"

"Let me make this easy for you," Aizen said, his voice going suddenly deadly and ice cold.

Ichigo made a sound of dismay as Aizen wrapped an arm around him and dragged him to the side of the king's healing pool. He glared down into the hot, bubbling water.

"Show me the worlds below."

"Aizen!"

"Look Ichigo," Aizen said, pointing at the chilling reflection of the rain drenched and drowning worlds, "Our worlds are dying. Our homes are being swept away. The people we care about are sinking ever deeper into the rising waves. If we do not make the new king, then we have to watch as everything is destroyed. Is that what you want?"

Ichigo stared at the faces of his suffering family and friends as they appeared on the surface of the water. Tears leaked onto his face as Aizen's hand touched his shoulder, making him stiffen reflexively.

"Stop it!" he pleaded softly, wrapping his arms around his quaking body, "Make it stop! They're going to die, all of them!"

"Yes," Aizen agreed, "they will all die...unless we accept our fate. It is a choice we have to make, Ichigo."

"Right, it's a choice!" Ichigo snapped furiously, "Let you have me or watch them die? Reoiu is going to have his revenge on me for killing him, one way or another, isn't he?"

"You really think that he is taking his revenge, Ichigo? I think I'm hurt," Aizen said, looking amused.

"I'm sure this is all very funny to you!" complained the younger man, "Of course you're happy about it! It got you out of Muken. It brought you to the palace and gave you a shot at the crown."

"I got more than that even," Aizen said sedately, slipping his fingers under Ichigo's chin and making their eyes lock, "I think I've watched you forever. I manipulated things so that you were born and I watched you grow and change until you became the stunning creature you now are. Not much touches my heart..."

"You don't have a heart!"

"Oh, I assure you, I do," Aizen whispered, closing in on Ichigo's flushed lips, "and it is pounding out a rhythm with yours. Don't you hear it, Ichigo?"

"You're crazy!" Ichigo hissed, his legs giving way as Aizen's mouth claimed his.

They sank down onto their knees beside the healing pool, savagely feeding on each others' mouths. Ichigo's fingers clenched at Aizen's shoulders, at first gripping fiercely, then loosening and stroking very lightly. He blushed over the length and breadth of his slim body as Aizen opened his yukata, then nibbled and licked sensuously at the white flesh. Ichigo groaned in protest, but couldn't fight the strange, wanton feelings that claimed him as he was lowered onto his back.

"W-wait! Stop!" he cried, stiffening.

Aizen paused in his ministrations and looked down at Ichigo through hungry, feral brown eyes.

"What is wrong?" he asked, his lips curling slightly with impatience.

"I know we have to d-do this, but...but I never..."

"I know," Aizen breathed hotly into his ear, "I won't hurt you...not this time anyway!"

XXXXXXXXXX

Byakuya stood, staring at the golden door that led from the back of the Kuchiki archive, into the royal realm, his expression guarded and his reiatsu swelling around him. He was so intent on the door and the little shifts in the reiatsu behind it, that he didn't sense his red haired fukutaichou approaching from behind until Renji's arms slid around his waist and his lips brushed warmly against the sensitive skin of his white throat.

"You all right?" Renji asked worriedly, "You look kinda haunted."

"I don't like what I sense is happening on the other side of that door."

"Well, Kisuke did say that we couldn't enter the royal realm until they made the new king, right?"

"Yes," Byakuya agreed, "he did say that. And I just wonder if we'll be able to get there fast enough...to protect Ichigo from what that monster might do, and get Aizen trapped and taken back to Muken."

"I want to see him locked up as much as you do," Renji agreed, "but I'm worried about how this is playing out. You don't think he's hurting Ichigo right now, do you?"

"Probably not," Byakuya surmised, "Aizen might be the greatest beast Soul Society has ever grown, but he is well aware the balance has to be restored, and by now, he knows that their mating is completely necessary. I think that necessity will cause him to consider Ichigo's emotions and well-being as they join."

"Ichigo must be all kinds of freaked out," Renji reflected, "He's never been with anyone sexually."

Byakuya gave Renji a surprised look.

"What?" Renji inquired.

"N-nothing," Byakuya said, trying to brush the awkward moment off.

"No, tell me what you were thinking," Renji said, frowning.

"I...I don't know," Byakuya said uneasily, "I just...remember there was a time when you seemed very interested in Ichigo. Before we got together. It's not my business what went on with you before. I am sorry."

"What are you sorry for?" Renji said, giving the noble a more affectionate look and kissing him on the cheek, "I guess that it was a fair assumption. I was interested, but it never went anywhere. Ichigo never even noticed me at all. I've always just been a friend to him."

Byakuya gave Renji a rare smile.

"I wish I could say I was sorry for that," he confessed, "but you would know I was lying."

"You don't have to worry about me liking anyone else that way," Renji assured him, "Ever since you let me kiss you, you're the only person I want to be with. _Aishiteru yo._ "

He brushed a warm palm against Byakuya's soft cheek, making it flush as the noble nuzzled him in return.

" _Watashi wa anata no mono_ ," Byakuya whispered back, seeking Renji's lips hungrily.

They kissed several times, before Byakuya pushed the redhead gently away and refocused on the door into the royal realm.

"Well, at least I got you to relax for a few minutes, eh?"

"Thank you, Renji," Byakuya said gratefully, "I appreciate the effort."

"You still holding vigil?" Kisuke said from behind the two.

He paused, sensing the heavy throbs of reiatsu that swelled on the other side of the door.

"I guess they figured out what they had to do," he commented dryly, sighing and shaking his head, "Poor Ichigo. I can't imagine what he's thinking right now."

"I am sure he is thinking of all of us," Byakuya said softly, continuing to focus on the door, "He knows what will happen to everyone he cares about if he is not successful in helping to make the new king."

"But having to let Aizen put his hands on him," Renji mused, scowling, "It makes me kinda sick, you know?"

"It unsettles me as well," Byakuya agreed.

"Too bad there's no damned choice," Kisuke said in a frustrated tone, "Well, we may not have any control over Aizen getting his claws into Ichigo, but we can make damned sure it's only this time, and then that guy is back in Muken, where he belongs"

"Aizen is slippery," Byakuya said warningly, "He nearly overcame all of our Gotei forces. He can barely be restrained."

"That's okay," Kisuke said, glaring darkly at the closed door in front of them, "We've got his number. He'll be pretty weak after the mating and will have to expend energy, giving Ichigo infusions of his reiatsu to keep everything in balance. We can use that time to gain control and restrain him, then he's back in Muken as soon as the new king emerges. He won't be any kind of threat anymore after that."

"Nice," Renji commented, "as long as it works."

"It'll work," Kisuke assured him, "We'll make sure of it."

He ran an appraising eye over the two officers.

"You two should get some rest while you can," he suggested.

"You are probably right," Byakuya agreed, "The mating will take several days and nights to complete."

"Kami, Ichigo's going to be pretty damned sore," Renji said, shaking his head, "It wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't sex with the most wicked shinigami that ever existed."

"This isn't about sexual enjoyment," Byakuya chided him, "It is a solemn duty to bring a new royal heir."

Renji gave Byakuya a knowing smirk.

"What about making a _Kuchiki_ heir?" he teased, "Does that need to be solemn too?"

"Ahem, I think that's my cue to leave," Kisuke snorted.

Byakuya glowered at his red haired counterpart and Renji cringed at the rise in his reiatsu.

"Eh, sorry, Byakuya," he apologized, "I was just trying to lighten the mood."

"It's fine," Byakuya said in a tone that suggested mayhem, "But let's go to our bedroom, where I can receive your apology more appropriately."


	3. The Rendering

**Chapter 3: The Rendering**

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

 **(Thanks so much to Phantom Trainer (And the next chapter is here. I will do doubletime working on the next as well!), Shima-Taicho31 (Ichi won't be so happy about the first few times, but he'll warm up gradually...), Hisuiryuu (You've got that right. DX But there are some things that will change his feelings, coming soon.), Kyuumihaira (I think he wants someone else to be the chosen one for a change!), Mitsukini Haninozuka (You've got it!), Enjali (It would be nice for Ichigo to loosen up and get a little nasty, but that will have to wait as Aizen works his charms...), GrimmIchisgrl (I have a nasty little Aizen obsession too. Ichigo will soon feel more like the lucky boy he is!), Sariniste (Heh, I don't think you have to worry about bad boy Aizen being locked up any time soon. He's a slippery guy! Ah, and thankfully, this website seems to have fixed the problems with the notifications. I finally got a bunch yesterday and have been getting them as expected today.), AmazingLion29 (Here's that update...and more is coming soon!), Tee (Here you go!) and Sonia (Yup! Here you go! I'll have another soon.) Enjoy the new update. Love, Spunky)**

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

"This is all moving really fast," Ichigo said, shivering under Aizen's possessive hands.

He pulled away and sat up, placing a hand over his pounding heart.

"I feel kind of sick."

"You weren't expecting something like this," Aizen said calmly, keeping his distance, but looking steadily into Ichigo's almost panicked eyes, "It's not surprising that you are unsettled. I...have a feeling that won't be a problem for long."

"How do you figure?" Ichigo asked warily, "You'll just wait until I pass out or something?"

"I hope it won't come to that," Aizen said, smirking, "but that's not what I meant. Look."

Ichigo's eyes followed to where a glow had arisen beneath their flesh. Each man's torso pulsated gently and Ichigo felt a deeper panic set in.

"Something weird is happening! I feel...strange. When I look at you..."

Ichigo paused, staring as the light seemed to stream into Aizen's hypnotic eyes, freezing him in place as the elder man kissed him again.

"Listen, Ichigo, you will hear them," Aizen said quietly.

Ichigo's eyes slid closed and he began to hear whispers that seemed to echo all through his unsettled mind.

 _Shiba Ichigo...I am glad you are here._

"Reiou?" Ichigo breathed dizzily, "What is this? Why is this happening?"

 _This is your fate, Ichigo. This is what resulted from taking my life with your sword stroke. Now, you will bring life to my next incarnation._

Ichigo sank deeper into his reverie as Aizen watched closely.

 _What do you mean, your next incarnation?_ Ichigo thought, _You mean, the baby we're making?_

He felt a swirl in the reiatsu around him, then the touch of Aizen's hands as he laid Ichigo down on his back again and began to run his hands over the younger man's soft skin.

 _I mean the king you are making,_ Reiou's voice answered, _Let me explain how this will happen. Aizen Sousuke has been chosen by me to father my new incarnation. I know, as you do, that he is a treacherous man, and that he is dangerous, both to you and to the new king. You must keep this in mind as you progress. I saw in a vision that Aizen would be born, and that I needed him to bring about a change in our worlds._

Ichigo frowned inwardly at the odd words.

 _You needed a villain?_ he inquired.

 _Yes. Sometimes, it seems, it takes a great force of some kind to instill change. Sometimes the forces of good are enough, but sometimes, what is needed is a great evil force. All of this keeps our worlds in balance._

Ichigo let the words play in his mind for several minutes.

 _I think I understand, but I don't know if I agree._

He felt the warmth of a very human smile.

 _That is understandable. You grew up in the living world, not a palace, and you have been called upon repeatedly to act as a powerful force of good. Why would you consider that sometimes evil is necessary? In any case, I saw the potential in Aizen, and I protected him from death, knowing that he would grow into the evil betrayer of Soul Society._

Ichigo's eyes narrowed.

 _Are you feeling better now about having killed me?_ the king's voice asked, _Again, I understand. You went through many painful trials because of that simple manipulation. I know well that if Aizen had been killed by Central 46, you would still be in Karakura Town, growing up a normal teenager. What I did, disrupted your life in many wicked ways._

 _It disrupted a lot more than that,_ Ichigo thought tersely _, It changed the course of thousands of lives._

 _It also meant that the taichous were able to reach the spirit dimension so that they could fight the quincy king. And think of quickly Soul Society would have fallen without you to brace Ywach._

Ichigo sighed skeptically.

 _That could be the case, or there could have been someone else who could have made a difference. Who knows all of the possibilities. Even someone with future vision doesn't know everything. Ywach learned that the hard way._

 _He did,_ the king agreed in an affectionate tone, _Ichigo, I know what I am asking is difficult._

 _You're asking me to lie down with the betrayer of Soul Society, the one who tried to kill my friends._

 _Everything that is happening is necessary to bring about the presence of the one who can balance our worlds. And the important thing is that he will be..._

 _I hope not like Ywach or Aizen!_ Ichigo fumed.

 _Because of the balance of forces you and Aizen Sousuke will provide, my new incarnation will be a balanced individual, and should consider all things of importance in making his decisions. He will not be a slave to others, but a calm caretaker. He will have your good heart and conscience and great power that will come from both you and Aizen._

Ichigo couldn't help but keep to his skeptical nature.

 _You sound pretty sure of that, but...what if he's more like Aizen and doesn't listen to his heart and conscience? Then, we're in as much trouble as with Ywach._

The king's voice remained calm and untroubled in Ichigo's mind.

 _All will be well. As long as you have a hand in the new king's fate, Ichigo, he will reign with goodness and wisdom._

 _I guess I have to trust you on that_ , Ichigo concluded.

 _Relax now,_ the king directed him, _Allow the prism to take over. This will shield you somewhat from Aizen's evil._

Ichigo felt a swell of power light the prism inside his torso, and although he remained aware of what was happening between Aizen's body and his, it felt more distant, as though it was happening to someone else. As Aizen coaxed his thighs apart and slowly entered him, the king's voice soothed Ichigo and continued to explain.

 _The hogyoku in Aizen Sousuke is responding to my desires and is causing Aizen's body to send a large amount of raw transcendent reiatsu into your body, where it is gathered into a spirit chamber that is forming inside you. As the chamber gathers the reiatsu, you will lose your own powers and your body will focus solely on rendering the reiatsu to make the new king. The reiatsu can't be placed in you all at once. Even your considerable strength isn't enough to handle it. Instead, you will accept the reiatsu in a series of matings, rendering between each joining. When the last of the reiatsu is placed, you will render it and bear my new incarnation. I warn you, Ichigo. Aizen is both necessary to this task and the greatest threat to it. But you will make the difference in what happens to the new king. Make your choices carefully._

Ichigo gazed up into Aizen's eyes, watching as the hogyoku flared in his midsection, and those brown eyes filled with unnatural golden light.

 _This light is the marking of my power. Do not fear it._

 _That's easier said than done..._

"Has he stopped speaking to you?" Aizen asked suddenly, jarring Ichigo back into full awareness.

He gasped at the harsh feeling of invasion, and the residual pain of his first penetration. He stared, wide-eyed, up into Aizen's powerful gaze, groaning as he sensed the heavy, transcendent reiatsu that was soon to be moved from Aizen's body into his.

"Ichigo, are you all right?"

He panted for a moment to catch his breath, then nodded wordlessly. Aizen's eyes intensified, the golden light growing until it blinded Ichigo and left him helpless in the other man's arms. Aizen moved and flickers of pain lanced through him, and Ichigo tensed sharply, causing a sharp reaction in the man on top of him. Rather than warning him to proceed more slowly, it seemed to rile his hips into moving with more speed and greater force. Ichigo gritted his teeth, quivering uncomfortably and closing his eyes against the painfully bright light. Aizen's body rose and fell swiftly, plunging downward roughly, pulling almost free, then plunging in harder. Oddly, with each hard thrust, he seemed to touch a place inside his more youthful partner that made Ichigo moan and thrash, nearly forgetting his reservations in the burgeoning hunger for more of those pleasant, tickling touches.

Ichigo's fingers clung tightly to Aizen's muscular shoulders, and he couldn't help watch raptly the erotic movements of that strong, wickedly beautiful body on top of his. Aizen might be the most wicked shinigami, but he was also undeniably beautiful and increasingly able to tap into Ichigo's uncontrollably growing lust. Within moments, Ichigo's reservations, and even his consciousness faded, as his body, controlled by the king's prism inside him, primed Aizen's undulating body for release. When the moment came, light exploded through the two men's bodies and radiated forcefully outward, leaving them in full awareness of the dangers of the power they were manipulating. Neither needed to be told that one wrong move, one mistake, and that power could estroy them. And yet, while being dangerous, it was also a sinful craving, something that tempted and teased them until their passions exploded and the raw reiatsu blazed out of Aizen's body and into Ichigo's.

Ichigo loosed a scream of mingled pain and blinding pleasure, completely losing consciousness as the reiatsu was transferred. He woke sometime later to find himself immersed in the king's healing pool and held comfortingly in Aizen's arms. The wicked shinigami looked down at him with unusually weary eyes, acknowledging Ichigo's pain without uttering a word, then sighing and pulling him to a warm shoulder.

"I was concerned for you," Aizen confessed.

Ichigo couldn't think of a proper reply.

 _Why would he worry about me?_

I thought that I filled you with too much of the raw transcendent reiatsu and that it might overwhelm you. I have stabilized you for the moment and it seems that your body is beginning to render the reiatsu. I need to sleep to restore myself so that I can gather the next infusion of reiatsu to place in you."

Even knowing that it was all necessary, Ichigo started to bolt from Aizen's arms, only to be forcefully restrained as Aizen glared warningly into his shocked eyes.

"Do not panic, Ichigo. Your emotions destabilize the reiatsu in you and make it even more dangerous. You must attempt to maintain calm as much as you can while your body renders the reiatsu."

"Wh-why should I trust you?" Ichigo managed in a shaky voice, "Why should I trust anything you say?"

"Because if the reiatsu destabilizes, then you will destroy us and this place...thereby destroying our worlds and all of those friends and family you care so much about. Think about that before you go on reacting impulsively."

"Fine!" Ichigo snapped, tearing free of Aizen and climbing hastily out of the healing pool. He started to flash step and crashed down onto the grass.

Wondering at Aizen keeping his silence at such a spectacle, he looked back at the elder man, surprised at seeing sympathy in his eyes.

 _That's right. The king said that I was going to lose my powers. I wonder if..._

He gazed back at Aizen, instantly sensing his powerful reiatsu.

 _Shit..._

 _I have nothing to help me if he decides to kill me. I am powerless and totally at his mercy!_

"Ichigo," Aizen said bracingly, his eyes looking calm and brown, empty of the king's golden power that had been radiating there before, "I have no reason to hurt you."

"Yeah, like you need a reason," Ichigo huffed, stumbling back into the palace and to his bedroom.

He slammed the door behind him and collapsed onto the bed, his eyes filling with tears of pain and humiliation as the king's power was slowly rendered inside his powerless body.

 _I've got no control over anything anymore! The king is using me for this without even asking and Aizen is having his fun with me and there's nothing at all I can do about it. I'm here alone with them, locked away from everything and everyone I care about._

 _If Reiou wanted revenge, he has it._

He noticed suddenly the tray of perfectly cooked, savory food at his bedside and frowned thoughtfully.

 _Weird._

 _No one's here but the two of us. I wonder how this is happening. It must be some strange power tied to this palace._

His stomach turned and he would rather have thrown the food straight into the trash, his anger was so intense.

 _But if I let my anger take over, the king will never be born, and I won't just be losing myself and my loved ones for a while, I'll lose them forever. So, all I can do is cooperate. It's in everyone's best interests. It's creepy though, thinking that he's going to come after me again. He has to, but I'm sure he's totally enjoying playing with my body and emotions like that. I can't let Aizen get to me._

He felt Aizen's reiatsu pass close by somewhere and shivered involuntarily, half expecting the door to open and for Aizen's eyes to be made golden and dangerous with the king's power again.

 _But that's stupid. He has to have time to build the power again. And my body has to finish rendering the reiatsu he placed already. It'll be a while._

The thought allowed him to relax slightly, and he climbed onto his bad and sat quietly, looking out into the gardens and eating mindlessly. The placed reiatsu still burned slightly inside him, but he could feel as the hours went by how it calmed gradually and became more manageable.

 _I wonder how many times he'll have sex with me,_ Ichigo wondered, _It hurt. Some because it was my first time and some because it was him doing it to me. He wasn't trying to be rough or anything...still, it hurt. Especially when he came into me. The raw reiatsu hurts like hell when it's put inside me._

Ichigo swallowed hard and focused on finishing all of the food left for him. Upon finishing, he walked out to the quiet gardens and soaked in the healing pool, feeling Aizen's dark eyes watching him from a distance, although the man didn't approach him directly.

 _I kind of wondered what it would be like to have my first time with someone._

For some reason, he couldn't hold back tears at the thought.

 _This reiatsu rendering is messing with my head._

 _I never imagined that the first person to be with me would be him. I never really pictured anyone, male or female. I don't know what I wanted or what I expected to be like. Maybe it's better that I didn't have romantic dreams about it, because it wasn't romantic at all. It hurt, and it didn't help that it was with someone who has never really loved anyone._

More tears leaked down his face and dripped into the bubbling water.

"Ichigo, are you all right?"

Aizen's sudden words made him jump and turn his head away.

"What are you doing here?" he growled, "I can feel that the reiatsu in me is still..."

"It's not that," Aizen assured him calmly, "I sensed your reiatsu becoming disturbed and if you will remember, it is my task to manage your reiatsu and emotions so that the king's reiatsu doesn't overwhelm you."

"No one's getting _overwhelmed_!" the ginger-haired man snapped angrily, "Maybe you don't give a damn that we're locked in here away from everyone we care about. Oh wait...Aizen Sousuke doesn't need anyone. He wouldn't miss anyone. You're probably perfectly content here, using me for sex and hurting me. It's good revenge for me beating you, right?"

"I am not enjoying having a front seat to your suffering. No," Aizen answered.

"You _loved_ watching Rukia suffer...and Renji, Byakuya, Toshiro and Momo. That's the way you are. I don't think that's changed."

"I haven't changed," Aizen admitted, "but then, I never placed you alongside them in my thinking, Ichigo. You have been special to me since I caused you to be made. Our lives have been tied together from the start...or haven't you realized."

"You make it sound like some big, lifelong romance!" Ichigo spat, "The only reason I'm doing this is because there's no choice and no one else who can. I don't care about you and when this is over, I hope they take you back to Muken and dump you there for good. You've never caused me anything but agony, and I don't think you're about to change your ways now."

"You misunderstand," Aizen said, moving closer and sitting down beside him on the bed, "We are connected, Ichigo, and the sooner you stop resisting that, the less tormented you'll be."

"Being connected to you is torture," Ichigo insisted, pulling away as Aizen reached for him, "Just leave me the hell alone. It's enough I have to let you fuck me. Cuddling would just add insult to injury."

"But you need to be held," Aizen said with certainty, "Ichigo, part of the reason you were chosen is because of your heart. You are trying to deny because you're being defensive towards me. But that is dangerous."

"I don't want to be held by you," Ichigo said in a pained voice.

"I know, but...there is no one else and it needs to be done."

Ichigo let out a shuddering sigh, forcing down another bout of tears. And for some reason he couldn't fathom, he didn't move or breathe as Aizen's arms wrapped around him and pulled him close.

 _He's right._

 _I need to be held._

 _I would have thought it was a weakness, but it's just an undeniable fact, and as long as he's not hurting me, I will have to accept him._

 _But I won't forget the king's warning. Aizen is dangerous. At any time, this man could turn deadly. I will accept my task and I will let him comfort me...but unless I want to die..._

 _...I can never trust him..._


	4. Dream and Nightmare

**Chapter 4: Dream and Nightmare**

 **(Thanks a bunch to Jess0409 (ME TOO!), Aizenfan6969 (Ichigo will definitely get his huggles!), Kyuumihaira (I think you're right!), Picklez80 (Nope, he's very aware of Aizen's dangerous nature, and his HOTNESS!), Winterheart2000 (If only it was that easy!), PrivateCaller (Okay, here you go!), Enjali (You have jedi instincts!) Phantom Trainer (Aww, so glad you like it!), Shima-Taicho31 (Aizen smiles wickedly "Since when did you think watching me would save anyone? lol), SagenWarrior (Okay, here's more!), Hisuiryuu (Some loving is coming right up!), Sariniste (I think that the pendulum will swing back and forth between them a few times as the dynamics shift.), Mitzukini Haninozuka (You've got it!) Enjoy the chapter! Love, Spunky)**

Ichigo came awake suddenly, his stomach throbbing fiercely and a feeling of intense nausea sending him flying out of bed and running to the bathroom, where he expelled the contents of his stomach violently, then fell back against the wall opposite the toilet, panting and rubbing his still aching stomach.

"Ugh..."

It occurred to his suddenly that when he had awakened, he had found himself alone.

 _That's strange, considering Aizen seems to always want to spend a lot of time around me. I wonder if he's in the king's archive, looking for more information on the king making process. I mean, the truth is, neither one of us knows exactly what we're doing. We're both being used by Reiou, and he's dead and only really able to talk to me because his soul is in the king's prism inside of me._

He felt an uncomfortable twinge and a sense of invasion, knowing the prism was in his body and the king's soul was inside, watching, but with no way of changing his situation and the worlds hanging on what happened in his belly, Ichigo had little choice but to follow the directions he had been given. The thought sent a little shiver down his spine.

 _I have to wait until Aizen's body has gathered another cluster of the transcendent reiatsu, and then he'll come to me._

 _It hurt a lot that first time. Maybe it will hurt less, now that I know what he's going to do._

Ichigo climbed to his feet and walked out of the bathroom and made his way to the closet, where he picked out a clean yukata. When he stepped back out into the bedroom suite, he found a hot meal waiting for him.

 _I still don't know how that happens. But it's like whatever causes it is aware of my needs. I can't complain about the food either, although it's a little creepy how it's always something I like._

He tried to sense Aizen's location, but felt an odd dimness in his perception.

 _Reiou said I would lose my powers. I didn't know that I wouldn't have my shinigami senses. They were working before the first time, but after, I felt the difference. Now I can't sense anything at all._

Given the inevitability of Aizen's return and more sexual joinings, it left him with an uneasy feeling.

Ichigo worked slowly at his meal, well aware that Aizen could appear at any moment and growing more spooked and anxious by the moment. He finished eating and left his room, walking out into the gardens to soak in the king's healing pool.

 _It seems to make my stomach ache and burn less when I sit in there for a while._

He sank down into the hot water, enjoying the lazy swirls that curled around him, soothing both his body and his ragged nerves. By the time he left the pool, he had begun to relax. He walked through the quiet gardens, listening to the chirping of the birds and the sound of rushing water in the nearby lake. He was standing near the edge of a cliff, overlooking the water, when, without warning, strong arms wrapped around him from behind and began to undress him.

"Damn it, you can't even say something first to let me have a second to prepare myself?" he snapped, struggling as Aizen dragged him down onto the ground, barely getting his clothing out of the way and clumsily preparing him before entering him and beginning their next mating.

"Asshole!" Ichigo gasped, pushing at Aizen's shoulders.

He caught sight of the other man's eyes and felt his insides go cold. Where before, the golden light had come into the other man's eyes more gradually, this time it shined more wildly out of them and Aizen's face showed no sign of reaction to Ichigo at all. There was urgency, but no affection in the hands that held him down. And he didn't even pause upon completing his entry, but began thrusting immediately and forcefully.

 _It's like he's not even there,_ Ichigo mused, relaxing his body slightly, _I wonder if he even knows what he's doing right now._

He had to remind himself that it wasn't in the king's interest for him to be harmed, so it made sense to just cooperate and get the uncomfortable joining over with. He found that moving with Aizen's body seemed to calm the other man, causing his painfully tight grip on Ichigo to loosen and his hands to caress the younger man, bringing him into a more receptive state and even allowing his body to become aroused. He felt an odd sense of loneliness and brushed his lips against Aizen's, needing to at least feel there was some kind of connection besides that of their bodies alone. As their lips touched, Aizen's gilded eyes looked down into his, and for a moment, Ichigo wasn't sure if Aizen Sousuke was the one with him. Indeed, the glare within those eyes felt powerful, but they felt more emotive too.

And then, realization began to strike him.

 _The hogyoku and the king's prism! They are both sentient forces. The king's prism was made to take in the soul of the king, each time one incarnation died and another had to be made. Reiou's soul is in the prism and he is with us when we mate. But the hogyoku. It's sentient too. I wonder if what this might be are the souls Aizen sacrificed to make the hogyoku. They were all stolen by him and given to the hogyoku to devour. Those souls sense that what we are doing will give them something they want._

 _I wonder what..._

The question radiated in his mind as Aizen's thrusts slowed and his breathing grew more ragged. Ichigo was shocked by the expression of intense pain the overtook his handsome face as he stiffened and began his release.

 _What's happening to him?_

He barely had time to wonder before the radiant light around their bodies seemed to explode, and it raked his insides, making him scream and twist his body free of Aizen's. He took a few staggering steps, vaguely aware that Aizen too, had collapsed and wasn't moving.

 _Did something go wrong?_

Ichigo's vision faded and he sank down into a seemingly impenetrable blackness. He thought he might have felt his senseless body being lifted, then lowered into the hot, bubbling water of the healing pool, but he couldn't move or speak, and he didn't have a clue who it was who had moved him. A feeling of exhaustion swept over him and he faded in and out of awareness several times. Then, he dropped off into a deeper, more natural sleep that might have lasted for hours, or even days.

He emerged again slowly, and found his body floating in the healing pool, with Aizen's also floating nearby. He should, he thought, have been frightened by the fact that he was breathing the water in and out of his lungs, but some part of him remembered Tenjiro's pool, and how Byakuya, Renji and Rukia had all been submerged for hours or days and had emerged unscathed and fully healed. He surfaced slowly, gradually expelling the healing water out of his lungs as he went. He planted his feet under him and coughed a few times, then moved forward to look down at Aizen. For a moment, he encountered a sense of dread.

 _He looks like his body has been emptied._

And in fact, it had been, during their mating. The gathered reiatsu had been expelled forcefully, and it seemed that this time, there had been more of it.

 _We both knew that the powers being rendered were dangerous. The power is feral, and it's strong enough to kill us. I wonder of he just gathered too much before mating with me...or if it was supposed to be like this. Whatever, I think he and I need to figure that out before it happens again._

He remained at Aizen's side, watching quietly until he showed signs of returning consciousness, then took hold of his yukata and dragged him into the shallows, holding him as the elder man expelled the water from his lungs, then sagged wearily against him. Ichigo led him to a ledge, where the two sat, recovering. After several minutes, Aizen's face lost some of its pallor and he managed a thin smile.

"Are you all right, Ichigo?" he asked drowsily.

"Are you?" Ichigo asked in reply, "It was different this time. It seemed like you weren't even there."

"The transcendent power we're rendering is untamed," Aizen explained, "From what I can tell, I have no control over how much is gathered in my body or when I will have the urge to mate. Those are controlled by the hogyoku, which is responding to the king's prism."

"So, the king's prism thought it would be a great idea to kill us both with reiatsu. Is that it?" Ichigo asked angrily.

"It's not in the king's interest for us to die, Ichigo," Aizen reminded him, "He wants his new incarnation to be born."

"But he's not too worried about what happens to us, is he? That makes me wonder if the king we're making is going to be as balanced as he said, or if he might not have any interest in his _subjects_ ' pain and suffering!"

"Ichigo..."

"It also gives me a really bad feeling," Ichigo confessed, "Our bodies are being pushed to the brink, and when the reiatsu is rendered and the king is born, I wonder what will happen."

"You think that we won't survive?" Aizen asked quietly.

"Well, you have the hogyoku. You can't die as long as it's there, right?"

Aizen gave him a cryptic smile.

"That is exactly right, but...how long do you think that the hogyoku will be in me?"

"What do you mean?"

Aizen looked down at his unblemished chest, where the hogyoku had been fused with him.

"Ichigo, the rendered power that we are exchanging has to come from somewhere. When we say it is _being gathered_ , what we really mean is that it is building up in my body. But...where did it come from? The hogyoku, right? And where is it going? Into your body, which houses the king's prism. The answer is simple. The king's prism is gathering and rendering the souls that the hogyoku devoured, and it is using them to make the new incarnation of the king."

"So...the king's prism is absorbing the hogyoku?"

"Yes. And that means that when the seeding of your body is complete, the hogyoku will be gone. I will lose my immortality, so yes, I could die...or be killed."

"You think the king wants you to die?" asked Ichigo.

"I am a dangerous person. He knows that. I was necessary for this, so he spared my life when the Central 46 councilors ordered me killed. He let me rain hell on Soul Society, let the war rage down below him, because he knew that the side effect of my war against him would be you, Ichigo. You...the creation of my experimentation, the key to stopping my plans against Reiou, and now, the bearer of the new king. All of this, because he changed my fate."

"You must wish I'd never been born," Ichigo said in a near whisper, the swish of the bubbling water almost drowning out his words, "You know that if you aren't killed by what we're doing, the Gotei is going to be waiting to take you back to Muken...only Muken was made for dangerous prisoners whose hearts couldn't be stopped. Doesn't that mean that without the hogyoku, they will just execute you?"

"That is exactly what Central 46 will order," Aizen confirmed, "How do you feel about that, Ichigo? Do you hate me enough to want me dead?"

"I don't know," Ichigo admitted in a lost tone, "It's hard to hate you when I know that Central 46 set you up as a child to be murdered. What they did was horrible. Not knowing all of this would happen, I would have said that it was good the king rescued you from that fate. But then, you took your revenge, not just on Central 46, but innocent people too...people who never hurt you. You used people like Rukia and Momo, who never would have done you any harm, then you coldly tried to end their lives. You experimented on innocent people too, sacrificed innocent souls. You became a monster."

"And because I did, I also make the one person who could stop me. What I did, didn't serve me in the end. It served Reiou. He saw his own death coming and he knew there was no escape, so he manipulated other fates so that his new incarnation would be free to act, not just a prisoner. But I ask you, Ichigo, wasn't he as much of a monster, loosing me on the three worlds, just for the sake of freeing himself from that crystal prison?"

"Were the ones who put him in that crystal prison any less monsters for doing that to him?" Ichigo asked, "It all seems to go back to why the king was imprisoned in the first place, doesn't it?"

"Yes," Aizen agreed, "It was the shinigamis' desire to prevent the king from becoming too powerful that led to Reiou being enclosed in that crystal...powerless except for his foresight and his ability to keep the balance of souls."

"It seems like one wrong thing just piled onto the next," Ichigo sighed, "Damn..."

"Well, what's done is done," Aizen concluded, "You look tired, Ichigo. Are you in any pain?"

"My stomach hurts, but that's just the king's prism doing it's job, rendering the raw power. Other than that, I'm just hungry. I'm fine."

"I am sorry for hurting earlier," Aizen apologized, "I wasn't aware, but there is flesh memory that stays with me."

"You mean, you don't sense it while it's happening..."

"But I remember it afterwards. Yes," Aizen confirmed.

"This is just so weird," Ichigo sighed, "All of it. I don't even know how to feel about it anymore. I don't know if what we're doing is even right."

"It will undo the entrapment of the king," Aizen reminded him, "And wasn't that the act that unraveled everything?"

"I guess you're right. I don't know."

Aizen smiled.

"Why don't we go back to your room and get some food and rest?" he suggested.

"I'm kind of scared you'll jump on me while I'm sleeping," Ichigo mused, "You just sort of appeared without warning."

"Well, if I'm in bed with you, you won't be surprised if I touch you."

"What? You want to have sex with me? When we're not being controlled?" Ichigo asked, frowning at the idea.

"What does this tell you?" Aizen asked, leaning forward and sinking deeply into his mouth.

Ichigo pulled away and scowled at him.

"It tells me that you're up to something," he said crossly, "And I'm not falling for it!"

He exited the healing pool and stomped, naked, back to his room. Slamming the door, he retreated to the shower and rinsed himself, then dried off and walked back to the closet, where he found even the clothes he had worn before were clean and waiting for him.

"This place is nuts..." he muttered, selecting a set of soft, warm pajamas that were more like the ones he'd worn in the living world.

He crawled into the bed, too weary to even wonder where Aizen was or when the next coupling would take place. He slept for several hours, but woke while it was still dark, then laid in bed, contemplating all that had happened. Inevitably, he found himself thinking of Aizen's zanpakuto, and what he ha felt upon defeating him.

 _Loneliness._

 _He's been lonely all along. He felt even more lonely when Central 46 ordered him killed when he hadn't done a thing wrong. He felt lonely in his powers and more so when he went to the hollow world to prepare to invade Soul Society and the royal realm. But all along, he wanted one thing...just that one thing._

 _He wanted his loneliness to end..._

 _...and he made me..._

 _Using the hogyoku, the device that brings possible dreams to reality, Aizen Sousuke made me. And even though I defeated him, and he was placed in Muken, he couldn't hate me. He couldn't bring himself to hate..._

 _...his dream..._

 _I'm Aizen Sousuke's dream come true...me..._

The truth ringing in his head, he left his room and walked to the next, then the next and the next, looking for Aizen. He searched the archive and the kitchen, the training grounds and finally, the gardens. He found Aizen still sitting where he had been, resting quietly and gazing up at him as he approached.

Wordlessly, Ichigo undressed and slid down into the water, where he stood in front of Aizen for a moment, then bent and kissed him.

"Why did you do that?" Aizen asked, studying his face, "Did you feel sorry for me because my greatest wish became my worst nightmare?"

"Am I your worst nightmare?" Ichigo chuckled, sliding onto his lap, "You've been around lots of uglier and scarier people than me...real monsters even."

"And none of them could hurt me...not one of them."

"Are you saying I have?"

"You are the reason I was captured."

"I'm also the one who the king's prism chose to deprive you of the hogyoku. And you still don't regret me being born?"

Aizen sighed and very slowly joined their bodies, then wrapped his hands around Ichigo's soft, bare bottom, encouraging him to move. The two went quiet, writhing warmly against each other until they surrendered together to a long, ecstatic release that felt nothing at all like their mating. They left the pool and dried off, then walked back to Ichigo's room together. Crawling into the bed, they wrapped their bodies around each other's and kissed goodnight.

"No," Aizen whispered as Ichigo lingered on the edges of sleep, "I have no regrets...Ichigo."


	5. Desires

**Chapter 5: Desires**

 **(And this one is back! Thanks to Picklez80, ShariBerry89 and Aizenfan6969 for the requests! Enjoy the new chapter! Love to all, Spunky)**

Aizen Sousuke felt the bed move and he heard the soft grunt of discomfort Ichigo made as he abandoned the bed and ran into the bathroom, where he fell to his knees, retching. The sound gave way to soft panting, then to a few moments of quiet as the young man gathered himself. He emerged, pale, but collected.

 _It is probably the calmest that Ichigo has been since all of this began. It's strange how I find this so pleasing. I usually enjoy keeping the people around me on edge. Then again, I am usually surrounded by people I can't trust._

 _Ichigo is wholly different._

He sat up, smiling in greeting as Ichigo approached him, studying him with a thoughtful expression.

"Are you feeling all right?" Aizen asked, "You still look pale."

"Well, can't expect much else," Ichigo said, smiling wryly.

"I suppose not."

He felt a little flicker of curiosity as Ichigo gave him an appraising look, then slid back into the bed with him.

"What's the matter?" Ichigo asked, frowning slightly, "Did you expect me to run away from you again?"

"It wouldn't be the first time, but then, you did seem to come to some kind of resolution about me, about all of this," Aizen speculated.

"I can't stop any of it," Ichigo concluded, "I tried getting upset, fighting it, trying to ignore it. None of that made any difference. There's nothing I can do while we make the king. I have no powers, no control over anything, even myself."

"That must hurt," Aizen reflected, "You are not one who enjoys being helpless. Most of who you are is in your strength and your desire to help others."

"Yeah, it sucks not to be able to do a damned thing about anything."

Ichigo sighed wearily and laid down on Aizen's shoulder, allowing the other man's arms to curl around him.

"It may feel that way, but I think you know that what you're saying is untrue."

"Huh?" the younger man huffed, turning his head slightly to look more closely at Aizen.

The elder man kissed him and his warm hands slid over Ichigo's body with an odd mingling of gentleness and possessiveness.

"You are doing something about everything and everyone," Aizen reminded him, "Your body may be empty of one kind of power, but it is filled with the power that will provide what the people you care about need to survive. That, at least, should comfort you."

"Hmm," Ichigo mused, meeting Aizen's eyes more curiously.

"Where does that leave you?" he asked.

"What do you mean?" Aizen asked, frowning slightly.

"Just what I said," Ichigo explained, "I mean, according to you, I was made for this. And even though that was beyond my control, I'm getting something out of being here. But, I'm not alone here. I'm with you. What are you getting out of this?"

Aizen smiled.

"You mean, you think that an escape from Muken and this time with you isn't enough reason?"

"That," Ichigo acknowledged, "and the fact that this is costing you your immortality. And when we go back, you've already said that Central 46…"

"Yes, if they don't have the backbone to order my death publicly, they will at least make sure that I die. That is true."

"And that doesn't bother you?" Ichigo asked.

"Does it bother you?"

Ichigo's frown deepened.

"Isn't that the proper fate for a monster?" Aizen pressed.

"You weren't a monster until Central 46 fucked up your life," Ichigo reminded him, "and I kinda wonder if it wasn't manipulation to make sure you lived, but not to…I don't know! I don't know what I think. My head must be messed up by the hormones or the king's reiatsu or something."

"Or maybe there are just some questions that can't be answered right now," Aizen speculated, pausing to run his fingers through the spikes of Ichigo's tumbled ginger hair.

Ichigo felt a cold twinge as he spotted an odd golden color beginning to form in the centers of Aizen's brown eyes. He tensed in the elder man's embrace, shivering slightly, but holding himself still as he watched the golden color spread and Aizen's body tense.

 _What is it like for him_? Ichigo wondered, as he watched the king's power take over, and all of the gentleness went out of his touch, _Sousuke is attracted to me. If a man like him can care, he cares for me. He's said often enough that he made me. He does enjoy touching me and making love to me._

 _I wonder how aware he really is while the king is transferring the reiatsu to my body._

He watched Aizen's face carefully as it registered a pained look before completely losing all emotion.

 _He said that he loses awareness, but that he kinda remembers after. I remember everything. I wonder why the…_

But the answer seemed clear enough as the touch of Aizen's hands grew rough and he was held down and taken without any sign of affection. Still, he looked up into the now fully golden eyes of the man on top of him, trying to connect with the soul of the king as the mating commenced.

 _Why doesn't he want Aizen conscious? Does he think the guy will be mad? Does he think he'll try to disrupt the process? Are they sort of fighting over me?_

 _What's going on?_

 _I'm trying to help you, Reiou. Why are you so cold to me? It almost seems like you hate me? Are you holding a grudge because Ywach forced me to kill you? But, you were a prisoner, and this will make you free again._

 _Do you even really care about that?_

 _About Sousuke or me?_

 _About anything at all?_

Ichigo gasped as the eerie golden eyes seemed to really look down into his for a moment and cool lips touched his earlobe.

 _I care about everything. You can't begin to know the burden. But that is a burden that belongs to me. Don't go too far trying to empathize with me. You and I are worlds apart, Shiba Ichigo._

"Not right now, we're not," Ichigo whispered, lifting himself slightly and touching his lips to Aizen's possessed ones.

The man on top of him froze for a moment and Ichigo flinched at the moment of deep confusion he felt for a breathless instant before the king hissed a warning in his ear and continued his hard, fast undulations.

 _This is dangerous._

 _Don't you understand that man loves you?_

 _And if you begin to connect too strongly with me, Aizen may decide to kill us both!_

Ichigo stiffened and sucked in a surprised breath.

 _Oh my god, he's right! Aizen's as much as admitted he's fallen for me. And even though the king is using his body, this isn't Sousuke, and I know it._

 _I only meant to comfort him and to let him know I'm not angry anymore about being used this way. But I stepped over a line. It's good he warned me about it. I'll be careful from now on. The last thing I want is to destabilize things between them. Not only could it make Aizen want to kill us both, it could interfere with the making of the new king. We have to stay focused. The fate of the worlds rests on us and this rebirth._

He felt the body on top of his stiffen and braced himself for the shock of pain that he knew would follow as the king's reiatsu was unleashed. A little shiver went through him as the king's golden eyes focused on his, and the cool hand touched his face sympathetically as the expected pain gripped him.

 _It's kind of nice to know he's sorry that this is hurting me, but…something in this feels a little scary. I wonder, did I do something wrong in trying to connect with him? I was just trying to lessen my own pain. Did I do that at Reiou's expense?_

He continued to watch closely as Aizen's body collapsed onto his and the emotionless golden eyes slowly faded back into Aizen's familiar brown ones. For just a moment, as Aizen regained control, Ichigo felt a sharp twinge of fear at the sudden flash of fury he saw. But the anger passed quickly and Aizen's eyes took on a calmer, warmer look as they studied him.

"Is something wrong?" Aizen asked quietly.

"I was going to ask you that," Ichigo answered calmly, "For a second, it looked like you wanted to hurt me."

"For a second, I suppose I did," Aizen confessed.

Ichigo let out a flustered breath.

"I'm sorry," he apologized, "I didn't mean to…to do something to make you angry, Sousuke. It just…hurts to have him have sex with me like that and to think that he feels nothing at all."

Aizen's lips tightened for a moment and his eyes closed, as though to hide something.

"You're really angry," Ichigo said, his voice shaking slightly, "I get it. I won't let it happen again."

"But you will," Aizen said, giving him an enigmatic look.

"I'm not gonna fall for the soul king!" Ichigo exclaimed, "My connection is with you! You made me, remember? I am the answer to your desires. Isn't that the truth?"

He reached out a hand to touch Aizen's face, then shivered as Aizen's hand wrapped tightly around his wrist, holding his hand away. Aizen's brown eyes fastened on his and Ichigo felt a harder shaft of fear pierce through his chest.

"Don't you understand?" Aizen hissed, glaring at him meaningfully, "I made you, but he used me to do that! I have my agenda, but Ichigo, he also has his!"

Anger burned all through Aizen's body, leaving Ichigo shaking as Aizen forced out a last few words, then flash stepped away.

" _You are the pendulum that swings between us. Be careful, Ichigo, which way you swing that pendulum!_ "

Ichigo remained sitting in the bed for several minutes after, shaking all over and breaking out in an icy sweat. He climbed out of the bed onto shaky legs and walked out to the king's healing pool, feeling flickers of worry as he found himself alone there. He slid down into the hot, bubbling water, trying to focus on the reiatsu rendering. It did feel good to rub the growing bump on his abdomen and to feel the bit of life that grew inside him. But his concerns refused to leave him, and as soon as he felt restored, he abandoned the pool and dried off, then walked back to the palace, searching the entire grounds carefully and calling the elder man's name.

 _I made him angry. That's dangerous enough with anyone else, but with Sousuke, his anger can be deadly. Still, he wants to protect the worlds too. It doesn't benefit him if they are lost, so he's probably just trying to let off steam, so he won't take his anger out on me._

 _Still, I caused him pain and I'm sorry. I want to tell him that. No, I want to show him. But I can't even sense him. I wonder where he is._

Ichigo left the palace and walked out into the gardens again. He followed one of the walking trails that meandered out into the trees. He followed the trail, thinking several times that he heard footsteps ahead of him. But as much as he heard footsteps, he never found anyone. Noticing that it was almost dark, he turned back.

 _I guess I don't need to be afraid of the dark here. We are alone. Everyone else is locked out and waiting._

He felt a strange little sense of warning, then glanced down to where a little stream ran by a stand of plum trees. To his surprise, Aizen knelt beneath one of the trees, at the edge of the stream, his arms wrapped around his midsection and odd swirls of clouded blackness around him. He made a sound of pain and a black tendril emerged and broke away, leaving Aizen's body shaking for a moment before it collapsed at the edge of the stream.

"Sousuke!" Ichigo yelled, breaking into a run.

He was at the elder man's side in a moment and dropped to his knees, calling Aizen's name repeatedly and splashing his face with water from the stream. After several unsettling minutes, Aizen's eyes opened and blinked, slowly focusing on him.

"Are you okay?" Ichigo asked breathlessly, "Sousuke…?"

"What happened?" Aizen asked, frowning and looking around, "I don't remember coming here."

"I don't know how you got here," Ichigo explained, "I was looking all over for you. I wanted to apologize for making you angry like that. Look, I didn't mean to do anything to hurt you. I was just…confused, but I know it was wrong and I am sorry. I won't let it happen again."

"It's fine, Ichigo," Aizen said in a more collected tone.

Ichigo helped him sit up and fed him water from cupped hands.

"Are you okay now?" he asked, "What happened to you."

"I don't know," Aizen admitted, "I wasn't aware of what was happening. I left the palace and was walking, when everything went dark and I seemed to lose my senses. I thought it was a mating urge, but it felt different this time. Did you notice anything when you found me? Anything that might explain what happened?"

"I don't know," Ichigo said, frowning and shaking his head, "I just…you were there, looking like something was hurting you and this black, cloudy thing came out of you and you collapsed."

"A black, cloudy thing?" Aizen repeated curiously, "What happened to it?"

"What happened? I don't know. I was too busy coming to help you, and when I looked around again, it was gone."

"Hmm," Aizen mused, reaching up to rub his chin.

"What do you think it was?" Ichigo asked worriedly.

"I don't know," Aizen confessed, "Perhaps it is the result of me letting my emotions out of my control. We were warned that strong emotions would impact what we are doing here."

"But, I thought that was mostly for me," Ichigo said, looking confused.

"Your emotions impact the rendering process," Aizen recalled, "It appears that mine impact the gathering process. I shall have to go to the king's archive and research this to see if I can find any pertinent information."

"Later," Ichigo said sternly, "You need to go back to the healing pool and we both need to eat something. I know you were pissed at me before. Maybe you still are, but I did tell you I was sorry, and I meant it. I want you to come back with me, so we can bathe and eat something, okay?"

Aizen gave no reply, but moved silently alongside him as the two returned to the palace. They sank down into the healing water, resting on the bench, immersed up to their shoulders. Ichigo waited until it seemed that Aizen had calmed, then he turned into the elder man's arms, seeking his lips for a bout of hungry, open-mouthed kisses. He spread his thighs, settling on Aizen's lap and looking down into the man's unreadable brown eyes as he teased him into arousal, then slowly joined their bodies. Aizen's expression remained calm and he was quiet, but Ichigo could feel the heavy turning of the man's mind.

He moved his hips, rising and falling as he fed Aizen longer and more passionate kisses. His lover seemed hesitant at first, but grew gradually more passionate, until his eyes flared brightly and his hands tightened on Ichigo. His hands wrapped around the younger man's bottom, encouraging Ichigo in his powerful undulations. He bit at Ichigo's flushed lips, savoring him and feeling a powerful sense of longing that tugged at his insides. He stiffened as Ichigo loosed a few words into his ear.

"I'm with you. You're not alone anymore."

He wasn't sure why he let himself be soothed. He wasn't sure if it was the brightness in his lover's eyes, the sincerity in his kisses, the passion in their connection, or any of a hundred other things. Whatever it was, it finally overcame the loud truth that was ringing in his head. The laughable irony that made a joke of everything Aizen Sousuke had ever been.

 _He has no idea at all. It is right in front of him, but he fails to understand. Everyone is getting something out of this. I am having this time with Ichigo and this chance to remake the heavens so that the king who rules is worthy of the title. Ichigo is protecting the ones who he loves. But Reiou is getting something too. And if Ichigo thought more deeply about that, maybe it would concern him enough to ask the question of what that is._

 _It isn't too hard to figure out._

 _I am slowly losing my immortality as we mate and the souls that were in the hougyoku are transferred and rendered. And whether Ichigo realizes this or not, I am also weakening. I don't know what Ichigo witnessed when he found me, but it is a warning._

 _I think that when this ends…_

… _it may be my end also…_

 _What would you think about that…Ichigo?_


End file.
